The Perfect Con
by TheCarnivalAct
Summary: "I'll do anything to get that fifty thousand dollars and win this bet. I'm not leaving this goldmine of a town. Even if it means breaking someone's heart." Multi Chapter/AU/Please R&R?
1. Prologue

_**The Perfect Con – Prologue**_

Beverly Hills, California.

It was possibly the most pretentious location in California. Probably even the entire west coast of the country. Every house was built like a plantation it seemed. Wrought iron gates closing off each house from the rest of the neighborhood that was enclosed in its own wrought iron gates that closed it off from the rest of the city. Stone masonry made up the long driveways that lead up to the huge mansions. Men came by every week to trim the hedges and shrubbery outside of each house and were paid extra to mend the landscaping on the front yards of these mansions.

Each house looked like a work of art. Like the pictures of homes that you would see in home management magazines – except the upkeep on these houses was ten times better than those. Even the perfectly sculpted palm trees that lined that perfectly litter and pothole free streets and sidewalks looked unreal.

These houses and neighborhoods were probably so well taken care of because of the people who lived inside of them. Actors, musicians, record and movie producers, agents, publicists – they all lived in these homes and they all shared one thing. Their image.

Although only the wealthiest of people such as actors and musicians and producers could afford to live here, there were a few people who acquired some of the homes. Usually retired people who had spent their entire lives working for a fortune, only to spend their hard earned money on such a nice place to live or a few pretentious young adults who inherited their family's fortunes would move in and act as though they were just as hard working as everyone else.

But the main characters in our story aren't actors or musicians or producers or agents or publicists. They aren't old and retired or young and snotty.

The three of them live together in a mansion in one of these extremely well groomed neighborhoods. They too have a wrought iron fence surrounding their property, along with people who come out _twice_ a week to keep up the landscaping and once a month to add a fresh coat of paint to the salmon colored building.

They had only recently moved into the area and seemed to have settled in quite comfortably. None of their neighbors knew how they had acquired enough money to move into such an expensive town, but each time they asked one of the men, they were answered with a chuckle, a smirk, and a change of topic.

They were all fairly young as well, so it was sort of a mystery how, at such a young age, without being in the show business – or any known business for that matter – that they had made such an establishment for themselves. The only things that their neighbors knew about the men were their names and a bit of their history.

The youngest was twenty-four years old and named Logan Mitchell. He was from Dallas, Texas and he had moved to California on a scholarship for the medical program at USC. He had explained to his neighbors that after a few terms at school, he had realized that being a doctor was no longer one of his greatest aspirations, so he dropped out of university when he was nineteen.

Not much was known about what he had done in the past five years to earn his fortune, except that he would spend several months out of every year to travel to New York or London or Paris or, as he had this past year, to Tokyo. He always came back with tons more cash than he had started with, but he never let it slip how he managed to be so successful.

The next boy was only a year older than Logan, twenty-five, named Kendall Knight. He was from Miami, Florida and had only moved to California two years ago with his sister, Katie.

Katie Knight was a very well known manager for actors and musicians, most of her clients living in the houses around her brother's. As soon as she had set foot in the town, her name spread like wildfire. Every up and coming star wanted to be a client of hers and several agents and publicists worked for her.

But Kendall, her brother, wasn't as well known. He had a fortune of his own, much like his sister and housemate, Logan, but just like his friend, and the information as to how he made his money was unknown.

The last man, the oldest at twenty-seven, was James Diamond. He was better known than Kendall and Logan, because of his past with modeling and his mother's cosmetic company. But as far as everyone knew, the company belonged to his mother, not him. Yet he had his own heap of money as well. He had quit modeling since he graduated from high school and owned several houses in New York, Atlanta, Orlando, overseas, and of course his mansion in Beverly Hills.

But just like the other two, his source of work was unknown.

Their neighbors had quickly given up on trying to figure out how the men had earned their money. Sure, the people in this town were extremely nosey and would go to great or almost impossible lengths to get their information, but things got old quickly. More interesting things popped up like the recent hospitalization of an overworked actor or the leaking of someone's entire unreleased album.

Yes, their neighbors didn't know a lot about the men, but they didn't think that there was much _to _know. They figured they were just some of those kids who inherited their family's money but were too proud to admit it.

But their neighbors were very, very wrong about their assumptions.

You see, Kendall Knight, Logan Mitchell, and James Diamond were some of the most unknown millionaires in the country.

But they were also the some of the most successful con artists in the world.

* * *

**Hey guys!**

**Yes, I am starting a brand new story. This one is a showverse AU type of deal and I am very excited to start writing this one. I know the prologue is a lot shorted than how much I usually write, but I think this is enough to open the new story with. Don't worry, I'm still working on SITD and I'm sad to say that it is coming to a close soon, so I took the opportunity to start a new story.  
**

**I hope you guys liked the prologue. Was it okay? I feel like it was a bit vague, but I'll be filling in more and more as the story goes along. Don't worry about where Carlos is, he's coming soon!  
**

**Please leave me some feedback about what you think! I haven't done a real AU before, so I'm kind of nervous about starting this.  
**

**I'm gonna stop talking now and let you guys go on with your day. I hope it's a wonderful one! ~ Carnie  
**


	2. Chapter 1

_**The Perfect Con - Chapter One**_

"You know, I've always wanted my own house in Vegas."

"Then why don't you just buy a place?"

Kendall stuck his tongue out childishly at James as the two of them approached an empty table in the large ballroom they were currently standing in. Their table, which was set for five, was draped with a brilliant white tablecloth that barely touched the soft red carpet beneath. Pulling out one of the fancy white chairs, the blonde slid down into his seat as James chose the chair next to him.

Both of the men were wearing black and white tuxedos, complete with jet-black bow ties, much like the men sitting at the table around them. They were in Las Vegas, Nevada for their friend, Donovan Reese, who had just gotten married. They were staying at The Mirage Resort and Casino – having dinner in the massive ballroom at this moment. This dinner party was a rather fancy kind of reception and after dinner and everyone was either going to head out to the casino or up to the suites.

Kendall and James, along with their housemate Logan, had worked with Donovan on a rather difficult and complicated con a few years back that involved a yacht, a deserted island, and an old wheelchair. Nevertheless, the four men had gotten almost three million dollars out of the rich idiots.

"Seriously though, why don't you just buy the place? I know you have the money." James asked as he picked up a pearly white cloth napkin and rested it in his lap.

Kendall scoffed as he tapped on one of the large wine glasses on the table, nodding approvingly when he discovered they were made of crystal. "If I went spending my money here and there, I wouldn't have any left."

The brunette rolled his eyes, catching the gaze of a woman walking by the table. She smirked at him as she walked by and James turned around not so subtly in his chair to check her out as she continued walking.

"You're not exactly being discreet, _Jameson_." Kendall murmured, watching as James watched the woman walk all the way to the opposite end of the ballroom, where she sat down with a man who immediately placed a kiss on her lips.

Turning back around, James gave Kendall an amused look, "I wasn't trying to be, _Francis._"

Kendall narrowed his eyes when James put emphasis on his embarrassing middle name. He figured he deserved it though, for using James' full name. He was about to retaliate when he heard a familiar voice from behind him.

"Do you guys ever stop bickering?" It was Logan.

The two boys at the table turned around quickly to face him, Kendall wearing an annoyed expression and James still looking amused.

"What took you so long, Logie-bear?" James asked as Logan sat down in one of the chairs across the table. Logan, just like them, was wearing a very nice tuxedo and a bow tie.

The raven-haired boy crossed his legs and leaned back in his chair, giving James a look that told him he didn't appreciate the silly nickname. "I was talking to Donovan and Amanda. They're leaving for a resort in Tahiti in the morning."

"See, Kendall, if Donovan can spend all this money on such an expensive wedding and a two week trip to Tahiti, you can buy a house in Vegas." James offered, leaning to the side as a waiter appeared and asked if the men wanted anything to drink. "Just some Merlot, please."

The other two asked for the same and a moment later, the same waiter arrived with a bottle of wine. He poured a bit into each of their wine glasses before setting the bottle down on the table and leaving them to continue their conversation.

"Maybe I'll buy one someday, but today is not that day." Kendall said as he picked up the wine glass and sipped his drink. "This Merlot is fantastic, excellent choice Jameson."

James narrow his eyes and made a growling noise, reaching up to smack the glass out of Kendall's hand before Logan kicked him under the table.

"Can't you two just get along for one night? Your friend just got married. Don't ruin their night by making them have to worry about an expensive bill for a broken crystal wine glass." Logan scolded as he picked up one of the leather bound menus beside his plate and began to scan the list for his dinner.

Kendall set down his half empty glass and smirked as James gave Logan an 'are you serious?' look. "Donovan is _rich_, Logan. Why would he care about a little gl-"

Logan kicked him again as the waiter reappeared and asked them what they would like for dinner. Logan was the first to order, being the only one to have decided, while Kendall and James lunged for the menus. They quickly scanned over the lists and made their own orders too.

When the waiter left to ask another table for their orders, Kendall tapped lightly on the table to get the attention of the other two. When he was sure that he had their undivided attention, he leaned forward and lowered his voice so that no one in the surrounding tables would hear him.

"You guys realize this place is basically a jackpot, right?" He whispered, a mischievous grin on his lips,

Logan rolled his eyes, "Well duh, it's a casino, genius."

Kendall shook his head, "No, I mean a jackpot of people. Stupid people. _Rich _stupid people. With _money._"

"Really, Kendall, I had no idea that rich people had money." James scoffed sarcastically and laughing when Kendall shot him an angry look. He pulled his legs back under his chair before Logan could kick him again, "But you're right. There are literally tons of rich old fools swarming this whole resort."

Logan was watching the two of them with narrowed eyes, but remained silent as Kendall spoke up again.

"I say we have a little fun while we're here. What do you guys say?" Kendall uttered suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows.

"I'm in." James chimed almost immediately. He had always been eager to jump on board with Kendall's plans, even if they hardly ever got along with each other.

Logan rolled his eyes and watched them both, who were staring at him with large puppy dog eyes. Neither of them had dog like eyes, since they both had light colored eyes, so it wasn't very affective. "No way. We're here for a wedding, not another scam."

"Come _on_, Logie-bear. We haven't conned anyone in months!" James whined.

Logan shook his head and his attention was diverted as he spotted the waiter arriving with their food. The other two were distracted as well as their own portions were set in front of them. The three of them quickly dug in, their conversation momentarily put on hold as they ate.

* * *

"So who's gonna pay this time?" Logan asked as he set down his napkin on his finished plate, a bit of sauce on the edge of his mouth still.

"Well, obviously, the richest one is going to pay." James said cockily, pulling out his wallet, "I can't have you little tykes short on money. Logan, you have sauce on your lips."

Kendall glared at James as Logan quickly dabbed off the sauce with his napkin before shooting daggers at the brunette with his eyes.

"What makes you think you're the richest, eh?" Kendall asked, his usually sparkling eyes a deep green.

James smirked, "Well, I'm the oldest. I'm the one with a butler. Oh, and I'm the best conman."

Logan and Kendall both laughed, pounding their fists on the table in fits of laughter. James frowned at them and slapped his wallet down on the tablecloth. "You guys think you're better than me?"

"Are you kidding me?" Kendall ceased his laughter enough to speak, "_I'm _the one who always has the plan."

Logan scoffed, "Oh really? I'm the one who always supplies the logic for your little plans, Kendall. Without me, you both would have been caught years ago."

James shook his head, "I managed well enough for you showed up Logan. I bought a _mansion _and hired my own staff before we even met!"

"If by staff you mean a chef and one butler." Logan chuckled, "And may I point out how you've made Kendall and I pay our share when we moved in. Without our cash, you wouldn't have been living in that mansion much longer."

"I remember you were a little short on money when he asked us, Logan." Kendall started, "You practically _begged _for another month to get the money."

"Fine then." Logan grumbled, reaching for the half empty bottle of Merlot and pouring himself another glass. He took a sip and gestured towards the other too with the glass, "You guys want to find out who is the best conman? Let's make a bet."

Kendall and James exchanged a look. A bet sounded good to them. It would be an interesting spin for them. Usually they just came up with some devious plan and sucked out as much money as they could.

"Sounds great. What's the bet?" Kendall asked, leaning on his elbow, which he had perched on the table, and running a hand through his hair.

"How about this – we pick some poor rich sucker here at the resort. It could be anyone." James suggested and the other too nodded in agreement.

After the waiter had returned and they had paid for their dinner, the three men stood up from their table and headed out of the large ballroom, side by side. Just outside of their reception area was the massive casino. The three of them were rather skeptical about actually gambling – they knew how the casino workers rigged the games. They knew better than anyone how to suck money out of people foolish enough to bet their money on silly games.

"Who will it be, James?" Logan asked, gesturing to the large array of plausible victims for their bet.

The tallest of the three scanned the large room with his bright hazel eyes carefully. There were tons of eligible people here; it would be tough to find the perfect one. He needed someone that would play to his strengths. Preferably a woman who couldn't resist his looks – they were always the easiest for him.

His eyes landed on a red haired woman at the slot machine. She was wearing a skintight green dress and her salon perm was pulled back into a fancy braid. She pulled back on the gold lever on the side of the machine and giggled excitedly as she won a prize – but not a jackpot. He could see her feet dancing under her chair excitedly as she took the token that the machine spit out and headed away.

Nah, too hyper.

Letting his eyes travel over the scene a bit more, his gaze landed on an elderly man who was playing slapjack. The man puffed on his cigar and coughed loudly before sternly telling the woman "hit me".

Nah, too old.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash that drew James' attention away from the gambling people and almost directly in front of him. He noticed that Kendall and Logan had heard it too, and they were staring with amused looks at the scene in front of them.

A short boy with pitch black hair had ran straight into one of the casino workers who had been carrying a box of cigars and a tray full of casino tokens of all different shapes and colors and sizes. Now, the cigars were rolling away in every direction and the tokens had spilled all over the floor. The boy who'd caused such a scene had turned bright red with embarrassment as the entire casino turned and stared at him with annoyed and amused looks.

"I'm so sorry!" He exclaimed with a slight Spanish accent, "L-let me help you clean this up!"

The man held his hands up to stop the boy from helping him and sternly uttered, "No, I'll clean this up. You've done enough."

The boy looked crestfallen, but quickly stepped out of the man's way. A few people from the reception area behind Kendall, James, and Logan had hurried out to help the man and pushed past the three men in their hurry.

"Excuse you." Kendall growled as a woman shoved his shoulder as she scampered off towards the discarded cigars.

James wasn't paying attention to the casino workers, though. He was staring at the still beet red boy who had hurried away towards one of the tables on the other side of the casino. Taking a closer look, James saw that it was one of the few games that he ever took a chance at with gambling – much to the dismay of Kendall and Logan. Roulette.

The boy slid down into one of the chairs and ran a hand through his jet black hair. As James watched him, he saw the boy pull out a large stack of red and white tokens.

"Excuse me," James said, catching the attention of a worker who was walking past by gently grabbing her by the arm. She turned to him with a smile, "Yes?"

"How much are the red and white tokens worth?" He asked.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a color-coded list before looking back up at him, "The red are five hundred a piece and the white and one thousand a piece."

"Thanks." James said as he stared at the boy and his large pile of tokens. This kid must have had thirty thousand dollars in tokens right in front of him. "Could you tell me about him?" He asked as he nodded towards the boy.

The woman turned around and followed his gaze. She must have witnessed the mess the boy made because she turned around with an irritated look.

"That's Mr. Carlos Garcia." She said before lowering her voice and leaning towards him, "Don't tell anyone that I told you this, but that kid has got more money in his pocket than anyone I've ever met. I talked to him this morning when he asked for our most expensive suite. His parents retired and gave him their entire fortune."

She rolled her eyes before continuing, "Big mistake, giving that kid the freedom to spend it however he wants. He's about as daft as a doorbell and clumsier than you would believe. Wouldn't surprise me if he spent it all here in the casino tonight."

As she walked away, James chuckled to himself. If there were anything in this world he wanted to thank God for, it was women who liked to gossip. Especially resort workers who liked to gossip about the rich residents.

Eyes still locked on where the boy was sitting, watching as he accidentally knocked over some of his tokens which sprayed all over the floor and dove after them, James tapped on Logan's shoulder.

"Yeah?" Logan asked, taking a cigar from a man who passed by and offered him one.

James nodded towards Carlos Garcia, letting Kendall and Logan follow his gaze before speaking, "Him. He's the one."

"That kid?" Kendall looked skeptical, watching Carlos who seemed to find trouble placing a bet at the Roulette table and annoying the worker.

"Yes." James sounded sure of himself and Logan sighed before turning to the other two boys.

"Fine. How much?" Logan asked.

"Well, we don't want this to be too easy. How about fifty thousand?" James suggested.

Kendall and Logan widened their eyes and looked at him in disbelief. "_Fifty thousand_? No way man!"

"Are you scared?"

James smirked as the two boys frowned and shook their heads. Of course they weren't scared. This was their specialty.

"Of course not. Fifty thousand dollars it is." Kendall said, his voice cracking slightly, which, fortunately, went unnoticed by the other two. He didn't want them to hear the self-doubt in his voice. Not that he _did _doubt himself, anyway.

"So the winner is whoever gets fifty thousand dollars out of Mr. Garcia first." Logan said and the other two nodded, "What happens to the losers?"

James looked thoughtful for a moment before raising an eyebrow, "Here, let's take him back to California and invite him to stay in the mansion. The first one to get fifty thousand dollars out of him gets to stay in the mansion and Los Angeles. The losers have to get out and find a new town for their pathetic scams."

"Fine."

"Fine"

The three of them turned back to face Carlos Garcia, who was no being fussed at by the impatient Roulette worker. He was red in the face and quickly placed three red tokens on a number.

"Let's do this, boys." James said with a smile on his face, "The first one to get fifty thousand dollars out of him gets to stay. Losers have to get out of town."

"Let's do this." Kendall and Logan said simultaneously.

* * *

**I really tried for 3,000+ words on this chapter, but I spent nearly five hours on this and only got about 2,800ish. My usual goal for chapters is around 3,000 words, but I hope this is alright! Did you guys like it? I'm still a little nervous about writing an AU, but I still kept the guys a little in character with their personalities. You'll see a bit more of their showverse personalities bleed through in the upcoming chapters, so don't worry about it getting too out of hand!**

**Thank you so much for the favourites, follows, and reviews! I appreciate them all! It really means a lot to me, getting support on my work. I've never had more support than I have in these past few months and it really inspires me to continue writing.  
**

**Thank you so much for reading and I'll see you guys later! ~ Carnie  
**


	3. Chapter 2

_**The Perfect Con - Chapter Two**_

"Alright, place your bets."

The Latino scanned the table in front of him that was littered with casino tokens of several different colors. They were being placed strategically across the number board by the people around him who were playing Roulette as well.

Carlos bit his lip nervously. He watched as some people who looked very confident with their odds who placed chips on a single number, narrowing their chances down one to thirty-seven. A few others looked wary, not liking their own odds, who placed tokens in-between two or three numbers on the board.

"Sir, you need to place a bet if you want to participate in this round."

He glanced up at the woman working the table who was dressed in a red and black polo shirt. He noticed that her lipstick was about five shades too red and her eyeliner was slightly smudged on the left eye. He smiled sheepishly as she narrowed her eyes. From the moment he'd sat down at her table, she'd fussed over his clumsiness and lack of experience with the casino.

She'd already explained the rules of Roulette to him twice and Carlos suspected that she though he'd forgotten again. Feeling sweat form upon his hairline from her intense stare, he picked up a red token and quickly placed it on the first number he saw. Twenty-seven.

The woman looked satisfied and glanced at the others around the table, making sure they'd all placed their own bets before she spun the wheel.

Carlos watched nervously as the ball spun around the table, bouncing over the twenty-seven slot a few times which caused his breath to catch in his throat each time. The ball slowly came to a halt and fell into the slot marked thirteen. He let out a disappointed sigh as the bets were swept off the table and the winnings were given to the lucky man on the other side of the table who'd bet on the winning number.

A man in a polo shirt identical to the woman's approached the table, holding a plate that carried several different glasses on top. He placed a wine glass beside a woman with bright red hair and she puffed her cigarette several times before taking a drink. Carlos smiled gratefully at the man when he placed a shot glass on the table beside him, and the Latino gratefully drank it.

As soon as he'd placed the empty glass back on the table, he heard a low chuckle come from behind him that was quickly followed by a voice.

"Having a hard time?"

Quickly turning around in his seat, Carlos faced the speaker. It was a man, dressed in a black and white tuxedo and freshly polished dress shoes. His lips formed a cocky smirk and parted just enough for Carlos to see the unnaturally white teeth underneath. He had short, brown hair and bright, hazel eyes that gazed down at Carlos happily.

When Carlos didn't respond, the man chuckled and slid down in the chair next to the Latino that had been abandoned by an angry man who'd spent the last of his money on the last round. When the man rested his hand on the table, Carlos noticed a fading scar that spread across his knuckles and a class ring that was resting on his middle finger.

"If you've ever gambled before, you'd know that a straight bet probably won't get you anywhere." The man consoled as he pulled a handful of red, green, and yellow tokens out of his pocket.

Carlos looked away from the man, gazing at his tan hands in embarrassment. He probably would have put more thought into his bet if he the woman hadn't snapped at him. He'd never been good under pressure. "I've never gambled before." He murmured.

The man chuckled again, arranging his tokens by color on the table in neat stacks. "That explains it."

Carlos didn't respond and straightened his own tokens, his ears growing red. The man must have noticed his embarrassment because he flashed the Latino a friendly smile.

"James." He said, offering his hand, "James Diamond."

Taking James' hand and shaking it, Carlos replied back with a wary smile, "I'm Carlos Garcia."

"I know who you are." James replied and when Carlos gave him a confused look, he continued, "I saw that unfortunate spell that you had with the guy carrying the box of tokens. I asked a worker here for your name and she told me."

Cheeks redder than ever, Carlos looked away again and watched as people around the table began to place their bets again. None of them were paying any attention to him or James, so it wasn't too bad.

"Don't be embarrassed, man. We've all got our bad days." James sympathized.

Carlos watched as the brunette picked up a few green tokens and examined the board. After a few moments, James placed the tokens on the line where the numbers twenty-eight, twenty-nine, and thirty-one intersected. He looked pretty confident in his decision and gestured for Carlos to place his own bet.

Grabbing a white token, Carlos glanced over the board. He saw that almost everyone had placed at least one token in the zero marked zone, but he opted against it. Eyes landing on the empty line between seventeen and twenty, he placed his single token between the two. Looking at James, he saw that the man approved of his bet.

The man carrying drinks approached the table once more, holding only several shot glasses on a plate this time. He set three different colored drinks in front of a middle-aged couple and came around to James and Carlos' side before setting two shot glasses beside them.

"Thanks," James said to the man with a smile before picking up the glass and downing it in one gulp. Carlos did the same and winced when the drink burned his throat.

"Not used to shots, eh?" James asked.

Carlos shook his head and felt his eyes begin to water. When the woman spun the wheel again, his attention turned back to the board as he watched the ball spin.

Holding his breath, he watched as the small white ball bounced over his bets a few times and gradually slowed down. His eyes went wide when the ball came to a stop and fell into the slot marked thirty-one. James had won.

Mouth hanging open in shock, Carlos watched the woman sweep the tokens off the table and then give James his winnings. The brunette smiled at the fresh stacks of tokens that consisted of several yellow, green, red, and white chips.

"How'd you do that?" Carlos blurted out, his voice a little higher than usual.

James raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"You won on your first bet!" Carlos exclaimed, staring at the large stack of tokens in front of James, "Can you show me how to do that?"

The brunette laughed, "It's a game of chance, Carlos. It's not about skill. I was just lucky, I guess."

Carlos scoffed, "Yeah, okay. You show up, give me gambling advice, and just so happen to win on your first bet?"

"Yup."

Rolling his eyes, Carlos turned back to the table. He never was one to believe much in luck. He knew there was some skill that went into gambling, but this guy clearly was going to deny it to his grave. Looking back down at his tokens, he frowned when he saw that he only had two red chips left.

James must have noticed as well, because he leaned over and whispered into Carlos' ear, "I hope the odds are in your favor, Katniss."

Carlos shouldered James playfully away from him and held the two tokens in his hand, examining the table carefully. After receiving another glare from the woman working the table, he placed his tokens on the line between thirty-three and thirty-five.

The woman spun the wheel again and Carlos balled his fists in anticipation. He didn't want to be humiliated in front of this James guy again if he lost this last round. The brunette was nice, but a bit too cocky for Carlos' liking.

The wheel slowed down and the Latino watched as the white ball slipped into the slot labeled thirty-five.

Stifling a cheer, Carlos turned to James with a smirk. James looked slightly disappointed but reached over and patted Carlos on the shoulder.

"See? It's about luck." James said.

Carlos pushed back his chair and gathered up the winnings that the woman had given to him before standing up. He noticed that he had about $5,000 worth of tokens in his hand as he stepped away from the table. He hadn't noticed that James had gotten up as well until he felt a strong hand on his shoulder.

Turning around with a frown, Carlos looked at James expectantly.

Sounding less cocky and friendlier this time, James asked, "Where are you going now?"

"I figured I'd try the slot machines before going up to my suite." Carlos informed him, not exactly sure why he bothered to tell this guy about his plans. Turning back around, Carlos made his way across the room towards the archway that lead to a brighter room, vaguely aware that James was following him. It closely resembled an arcade, but instead of Pac-man and Galaga, there were several rows of slot machines,

"Ah, the slot machines. The American casino tradition." James said as he followed, "Someone told me once that if you don't try the slots at least once every time you go to a casino, you'd lose every gamble for the rest of your life."

"That's really dumb." Carlos teased as he approached the machines. James shot him a playfully offended look, poking out his bottom lip in a dull pout. Carlos rolled his eyes and looked away from James as he sat down at an open slot machine.

The seats on either side of him were taken – one by a woman with too much hairspray in her curly blonde hair and an elderly man that smelled like tobacco. James continued to pout as he sat down on the other side of the woman.

Carlos rolled his eyes for what seemed like the tenth time that night. He just couldn't shake this guy off. It wasn't as if James' company was entirely horrible – he just wanted to be left alone after his two drinks.

Facing the machine, he noticed that it was an old retro reel-spinning slot machine with a lever. When he'd walked into the room, he'd seen a bunch of digital machines with touch screens and buttons instead of actual wheels and levers. He was sort of glad that his wasn't digital – he trusted it more than a digital machine. He got the feeling that it would be much easier for the casino to tamper with a digital machine than a manual one.

He was a little skeptical about the slot machines, to be completely honest. Looking at the credit meter next to the reel, he examined the bets, the reels, and the prizes. For the first one, if he got three pictures of a lemon in a row, he would win eighty dollars. It seemed like every prize was double the bet. He knew the slot machines didn't exactly have high stakes when it came to winning, but after winning that last round of Roulette, he felt like it was worth a try.

Looking over at James, Carlos noticed that he'd already pulled his own lever and was watching as the reel spun. The exciting sounds that the machine emitted as the reel spun around were loud and made Carlos' heartbeat faster.

James groaned when two of the slots landed on the lemon but the last one was a bunch of purple grapes. The brunette looked over at Carlos, his hazel eyes illuminated by the bright lights on the screen and the Latino quickly looked away.

Giving the machine his money, Carlos pulled the lever and his own machine began to make noises as the reel spun. Carlos had heard the sounds before on television, but to actually be the one gambling, it made the chances of winning a lot more exciting.

Only one lemon appeared on his reel and Carlos sighed, but pulled the lever again. As his reel spun, the man beside him stood up from his slot machine and within an instant, James was beside him again.

"The slots have always been my favourite part of the casino." James said happily, trying to strike up another conversation.

"You just lost." Carlos pointed out as three lemons appeared on the reel and the credit meter lit up beside him. Now he was going to try for three purple grapes in a row.

"Yeah but it's fun." James muttered defensively.

Carlos rolled his eyes and pulled the lever. He lost a few more times before three grapes line up and he moved on to a row of blueberries. The woman on the other side of him angrily puffed her cigarette after losing another round before quickly getting up and storming off.

"Hey, Diamond, are you bothering this kid?"

Carlos turned around, his hand on the lever, to see another man in a tuxedo standing behind them. His hair was slightly longer than James' and he had dimples embedded into his cheeks that could be seen even though he wasn't smiling. He was glaring at James, who was frowning from his seat beside Carlos.

"Are you gonna play the slots too, Mitchell?" James sniggered, turning back to his machine but not pulling the lever.

Carlos wasn't sure what to say as the man sat down on the other side of him. It was obvious that he and James knew each other and he wondered why they were both dressed in tuxedos. This casino was rather fancy but he didn't see many people dressed as formally as them. Carlos himself was wearing just a black button up shirt and dark jeans.

"Hey, is he bothering you?" The man asked Carlos, "I know he can get pretty annoying."

Carlos laughed nervously and shook his head. "No, I'm just having a weird night."

The man didn't look like he believed the Latino, but he let it slide. "I'm Logan, by the way. James is a friend of mine."

"Carlos," Carlos said, introducing himself with a handshake much like he had exchanged with James. He watched as Logan and James gave each other a strange look. He ignored it, though.

Facing the machine again, Carlos pulled the lever and he was vaguely aware of Logan and James watching him. They stared at the reel as it spun and Carlos held his breath as the first dial came to a halt. It landed on what looked like a minimalist picture of a firework. He let his excitement ebb away, thinking he'd lost yet again.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw James' face light up as his mouth widened into a bright, toothy smile. Another firework appeared on the reel and finally, the last one came to a halt. It was a firework too.

The music coming from the machine suddenly become a lot louder and a loud bang caused Carlos to jump. The credit meter on the side of the machine lit up again except the word JACKPOT was illuminated at the very top. Feeling his heart begin to beat faster, Carlos stared at the reel in confusion. Before he could voice his confusion, a loud voice came from the speakers.

"You've won!" Said the recording of a man's excited voice.

A ticket slid out of the machine, the word JACKPOT printed across it in huge letters, and Carlos grabbed it. Staring down at the yellow ticket in his fingers, his jaw dropped.

"Dude, you just won a jackpot!" James exclaimed, staring at the ticket in Carlos' hand in shock.

"How much did you win?" Logan asked, peering over Carlos' shoulder to get a good look at the ticket. If Carlos hadn't been in shock, he probably would have irritably shrugged Logan off but he was just staring at the piece of stock paper in his hand. He hadn't even considered the possibility that he could have won the jackpot tonight. He didn't think that it was something that actually happened.

It took a minute for Logan's question to register in his head, but Carlos glanced down at the print below the large letters and read, "Take this ticket to the prize table to be cashed by a casino employee."

Before he had even finished his sentence, he felt James grab his wrist and yank him away from the slot machines. He heard Logan scrambling behind them as James led him through the noisy room and through another archway.

On one side of the room was a large bar and dining area. This wasn't the dining area like where James, Logan, and Kendall – who Carlos still hadn't met – had attended the reception for their friend's wedding. This was a lot lower class and most of the people were eating pizza and drinking beer. As he was pulled across the room, Carlos saw a large table that was marked with prizes like casino shot glasses, a few _giant_ stuffed bears, and several more interesting prizes like neon signs and a keys to a new car inside a glass case.

There was a large group of people at the prize table and only one employee seemed to be working, looking very stressed out and anxious.

"I think we should let the crowd die down before we go over there." Logan advised and James nodded in agreement. The two of them looked at Carlos, who remained silent. The Latino was still in shock, staring at the yellow ticket in his hand.

"Come on, let's get him a drink." James said, grabbing Carlos' arm gently this time. The two of them steered Carlos towards the bar and the trio sat down on the high stools.

James sniggered when he noticed that he was the only one whose feet touched the ground. Logan rolled his eyes and smiled at the bartender who approached the three of them. He ordered margaritas for the three of them and turned to Carlos when the bartender turned away to make their drinks.

"I never thought people actually won these things." Carlos muttered, finally tearing his gaze away from the ticket and placing it on the bar.

Logan picked it up and examined it as James began to speak. "Yeah, tons of people do. Don't get too excited, though, we still don't know how much you actually won."

"Way to be a buzzkill, James." Logan scoffed as he handed the ticket back to Carlos.

"I just don't want him to be disappointed." James retaliated.

Carlos laughed, "It's okay guys, I'm just pretty psyched that I actually won."

"Especially on your first time at a casino." James offered.

Logan raised his eyebrows at this new information. "That's pretty cool, man. My first time at a casino – I almost went broke."

"He's lucky that I dragged him away from the poker table before he could blow it all." James chuckled.

Logan rolled his eyes and wrapped his hands around the cold glass that the bartender had brought him. The other two noticed their own drinks in front of them and James immediately went from the dark blue straw that was sticking out of the lime green drink.

"So kid, what are you in Vegas for?" Logan asked, running his finger around the rim of the glass and licking the salt off his fingers.

Carlos took a sip from his drink before swallowing and replying, "Just to have fun, I guess. My parents retired and moved up to Vancouver and I inherited their money. I've never been here before, so I figured it would be fun."

"How long do you plan on staying?" Logan pressed and James shot him a look. It wasn't James' usual style to go straight for personal details, but Logan worked a little differently.

"Only a few more days. I'm thinking about going to California for a while and checking out the places there. I've always wanted a house by the beach – and now I can afford one." The Latino explained.

"Why don't you come stay with us?" James said suddenly, causing Logan to raise his eyebrows and Carlos gave him a confused look, "We live together in a really nice mansion in Beverly Hills. You won't have to pay for a room at an expensive hotel and we can drive you to Malibu or Santa Monica help you find a place."

"You live together?" Carlos asked and the two of them nodded, "So are you two… together as well?"

Logan snorted and James gave Carlos a horrified look. "Hell no! Logan wishes he was lucky enough to be with someone as hot as me." James joked, "We're just housemates. Our friend, Kendall, lives with us too."

Carlos nodded, "Well, I mean, if you don't mind me staying with you guys."

"Not at all." Logan said cheerfully.

Carlos smiled and sipped more of his drink before looking over his shoulder at the prize table. The crowd had died down and now the employee was leaning on his elbows that were propped up on top of the table, looking as if he wouldn't mind taking a very long nap.

"You should go cash that ticket now, before another crowd comes." James advised and Carlos nodded, leaving the two of them at the bar.

Logan and James exchanged a glance, both beginning to brew their individual plans in their heads. Logan picked up his glass and raised it in the air towards James, who touched his own glass to Logan's.

"Game on, pretty boy." Logan said with a smirk.

* * *

**Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter - it was a pretty lengthy one, huh? I didn't think that this chapter would be this long but I like it a lot. So much research on casinos and the games like Roulette and the slot machines went into this chapter, you guys have no idea. Being sixteen and living in Texas, I have absolutely no knowledge on casinos at all, but I hope that this was pretty close! I think I might have messed up on the rules with the slot machines and how the jackpots are distributed, but let's just pretend that for the sake of this story, this is how they work, okay?**

**Anyway, did you guys like it? I originally was going to update last Monday, but I had horrible writer's block. School started for me last week and it's just been insane. I'm happy that I finally got around to updating, though.  
**

**Thank you so much for reading and if you liked it or even absolutely hated it, please leave me a review! I love every single one and I also want to thank everyone who has favourited this story and followed it - along with everyone who has favourite and followed me as well. You guys are amazing!**

**I'll see you guys soon with either chapter three of this story or the next chapter of SITD! ~ Carnie**


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